Filter for a smoking device



United States Patent 2,855,937 10/1958 .Iacknin Mortimer Russell Dock 26 Broadway, New York, NY. 10004 798,964

Feb. 13, 1969 Dec. 15, 1970 Inventor Appl. No. Filed Patented FILTER FOR A SMOKING DEVICE I Claim, 4 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl. 131/261, 131/10, l3l/I0.3, 131/15 Int. Cl A24d 01/04 Field of Search 131/10, 9, 10A, 10.3, 1513, 261

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,057,360 10/1962 Bugge 131/9 3,324,861 6/1967 Gaisman..... l31/9X 3,390,684 7/1968 Hudnell l31/l0X(A) FOREIGN PATENTS 938,902 10/1963 Great Britain 13l/l0(A) 356,394 8/1961 Switzerland 131/9 Primary Examiner-Samuel Koren Assistant Examiner-lames H. Czerwonky ABSTRACT: A tubular filter housing, for smoking articles such as cigars and cigarettes, having longitudinally spaced groups of elongated slits. Each group has at least four of such slits equally circumferentially spaced and lying in a common plane perpendicular to the axis of the housing. Each of the slits have their respective edges normally in substantial contact. Some of the slits are distortable by lip pressure exerted upon the housing to increase the width of the distorted slits.

PATENTED DEC! 5 19m INVIz'N'l'UR. MORTIMER RUSSELL DOCK BY Jig 73. 5:44)

FILTER FOR A SMOKING DEVICE The present invention provides means for improving the smoking qualities of articles such as cigarettes and cigars by modifying the filter housing on such devices.

It is a matter of common knowledge that controlled rarefication of the smoke produced by the combustion of tobacco enhances the quality of the smoke thus produced.

In the present invention it is proposed that the rarefication should occur at a point adjacent the mouth of the smoker, rather than at some point or points nearer the burning end of the smoking article.

For that purpose, openings such as slits or perforations are provided in the housing surrounding the filter element. These openings, which provide direct penetration of the wall of the housing, permit the intake of air which becomes mixed with the smoke upon inhalation, producing a sensation in the smoker's mouth of a cooler, milder smoke of superior flavor. With the openings providing direct penetration of the wall of the filter housing, the size of the openings may be controlled as the smoker desires, as compression of the lips of the smoker will cause some of said openings to be enlarged, thus permitting an increased intake of air for admixture with the smoke.

With the above and other objects in view, this invention consists of the novel features, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming part of this application, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all views, and in which:

FIG. I is a perspective view of a filter housing for a smoking article such as a cigarette, wherein longitudinal slits are provided in the wall thereof;

FIG. 2 is a cross section on line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a filter housing for a smoking article such as a cigarette wherein generally circular openings are provided in the wall thereof; and

FIG. 4 is a cross section on line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the numeral 11 indicates the housing of a filter for a smoking device such as a cigarette or cigar, and in FIGS. I and 2 the numeral 12 indicates slit openings suchas might be created with a razorsharp cutting instrument.

In FIG. 3 there are shown openings I3, 13 of generally circular contour in the wall of the filter housing, and these are shown in cross section in FIG. 4.

It is believed that the slit openings, having the edges thereof in substantial contiguity, provide a more desirable means for achieving the purpose of this invention, inasmuch as the width of such openings is more easily controlled by the compression of the smokers lips to widen some of the openings in the lateral portions of the walls, whereas circular openings cannot be changed appreciably by intentional deformation of the usually cylindrical filter housing, such as might be created by compression of the smokers lips upon the filter.

It is to be understood that the form of the invention as shown and described herein may be taken as a preferred example of the same.

Iclaim:

1. In a tubular filter housing for a smoking article such as a cigar or cigarette, longitudinally disposed elongated slits arranged in longitudinally spaced groups, each of said groups comprising at least four such slits equally spaced in a circumferential direction and lying in acommon plane perpendicular to the axis of said housing, each of said slits having their respective edges normally in substantial contact, some of said slits being distortable by lip pressure exerted upon said housing to increase the width of the distorted slits, thus permitting a corresponding increase in air flow through said distorted slits. 

